Woman who dumped two of her babies in bin fails to appear at trial

A YouTube star who prosecutors say dumped two of her babies in bins a year apart shortly after they were born did not show up for her trial on two counts of homicide by child abuse.

Alyssa Dayvault is charged in Horry County, the easternmost county in the US state of South Carolina, and faces a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted.

A jury in Ms Dayvault's trial was picked on Tuesday even though she wasn't in court as the trial got underway, local media reported.

A judge issued a warrant to order Ms Dayvault to come to court. If she isn't found and the jury convicts her, the sentence will be sealed until she can be brought to court.

Ms Dayvault was arrested in December, 2018, after she went to the hospital with heavy bleeding and delivered a placenta, but no child, authorities said.

Ms Dayvault told police she had delivered a baby boy at her North Myrtle Beach home and the baby took a few gasping breaths before she put him into a trash bin where his body was later found, according to arrest warrants.

Investigators reviewed Ms Dayvault's medical records and discovered she was pregnant with a girl who had a healthy heart beat in November, 2017, according to authorities.

That baby also was put in a bin after birth, police said.

Attorneys for Ms Dayvault are in court putting on a case on her behalf. Her whereabouts was not immediately known.